Canberra, 26 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that Germany could help secure any peace once a ceasefire was in place in the Iran war.

"This war is a catastrophe for the world's economies. The impact is absolutely evident already now after a little bit more than two weeks," he warned during a meeting with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in the capital Canberra.

A diplomatic solution was needed "as soon as possible," Pistorius said. He directed that call above all at Iran, but also at the United States.

"We have not been consulted before, nobody asked us before, it's not our war, and therefore we don't want to get sucked into that war, to make it crystal clear," Pistorius said.

Speaking shortly afterwards at Australia's National Press Club, he also criticized the US approach more broadly. "There is no strategy, there is no clear objective and the worst thing from my perspective is there is no exit strategy."

Instability in the Middle East would have consequences for the whole world, he added. "And therefore, we are ready to secure any peace," the minister said.

Pistorius said that if there was a ceasefire, Germany would discuss any kind of operation to secure the peace, especially the freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Photo: EPA archive